Mixing tap with independent hot and cold water flow controls

ABSTRACT

A mixing tap with independent hot and cold water flow controls. Its body comprises two flow-regulating obturators, each connected to a water supply and a common water-outlet nose, paired with two corresponding controls, which are dispaceable in close, parallel trajectories, acting in the same direction, but the distance separating them remaining limited in all operating and rest positions, said controls being easily covered with one hand of the user.

United States Patent 1 Kempler nee Constantinesco 1 MIXING TAP WITH INDEPENDENT HOT AND COLD WATER FLOW CONTROLS [76] Inventor: Aurora Kempler nee Constantinesco,

5, rue Maurice Baes, La Varenne, (Val de Marne), France 22 Filed: July 19,1973

211 Appl.No.:380,709

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data July 31 1972 France i i 72.27544 [52] US. Cl. 137/637; 137/606; 251/251 [51] Int. Cl. 1. Fl6k 19/00 [58] Field of Search 4/192; 137/606, 637; 251/251, 257, 262, 263

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,702,051 2/1955 Welty et a1. 137/637 X 2,792,847 5/1957 Spencer i, 251/263 X 3,395,734 8/1968 Spencer 137/637 1 Sept. 9, 1975 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 790,667 9/1935 France 251/257 Primary ExaminerRobert G. Nilson Anorney, Agent, or Firm-Parmelee, Johnson & Bollinger [5 7] ABSTRACT A mixing tap with independent hot and cold water flow controlsv lts body comprises two flow-regulating obturators, each connected to a water supply and a common water-outlet nose, paired with two corresponding controls, which are dispaceable in close, parallel trajectories, acting in the same direction, but the distance separating them remaining limited in all operating and rest positions, said controls being easily covered with one hand of the user.

3 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures MIXING TAP WITH INDEPENDENT HOT AND COLD WATER FLOW CONTROLS The invention relates to mixing taps with independent flow controls.

The simultaneous distribution of hot and cold water can be effected either with independent taps, connected to separate water outlet noses or to a common water outlet nose, or to so-called mixer" taps with a single water outlet nose.

Separate taps, even if they are very close to one another, are not so easy to handle as mixer taps but, on the other hand, these latter have the disadvantage of having complicated mechanisms since it is necessary to control the general flow of water to the water outlet nose and the proportion of cold and hot water, as well as of incurring the risks of inter-communication between the circuits, causing the unwanted arrival of cold water in the hot water circuit, and vice-versa, sometimes even when the flow to the corresponding water outlet nose has been stopped.

The object of the present invention is to overcome these disadvantages, while retaining the reliability and simplicity of constructions with a single tap, as well as the convenience which results from the fact that they can be operated with one control, that is, that they can be operated by the user with one hand.

The device according to the invention, comprises, to this end, a tap body in which there are two flowregulating obturators, each connected to a water supply and a common water outlet nose and two corresponding controls with independent handling ends, which are displaceable in close parallel trajectories, acting in the same direction within a limited field, but the distance separating them remaining limited in all operating and rest positions, said controls being easily handled by the user with one hand.

In the form of embodiment of such a tap, the obturators are of the sliding type, which can open as a resuit of water pressure, and are located in parallel and cooperate with two co-axial cams which are integral with pivoting radial handles, which can therefore have a maximum limited individual clearance of the order of about 90.

The body of the obturators are fixed in a base provided with junctions for connecting them to the water supply tubes and a single water-outlet nose, the end of the valve rods protruding under the cover of an added dome, which maintains the psindle of both cams in position, perpendicularly to said rods, and provided with at least one arcuate slit for the passage of the handling members associated with the operation of said cam.

The ends of these associated handling members are in the form of levers and are provided with shaped parts which enable them to be gripped or pushed conveniently, individually or together, with the aid of fingers or a sort of palming action which, by joint operation, results in the opening or closing of the two valves as also the separate operation of said valves by rotating movement imparted by hand.

The description that follows, with reference to the drawing attached, by way of non-limitative example, will enable it to be understood how the invention can be applied.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of such a tap,

PK]. 2 shows an elevation with a portion of the body shown in section as taken along line 22 in FIG. 3, and

FIG. 3 is an elevational sectional view of the top portion of the mixing tap taken generally along the line 33 in FIG. 2.

The tap, in the example shown, comprises a body 1 forming its base, which is integral with the water outlet nose 2, which base is provided with a threaded socket 3 for fitting it onto a sanitary facility such as a washbasin, by means of connections and nuts 4. The two hot and cold water supply tubes can be located in this socket. The body 1 comprises two corresponding shoulded bores 5 which are parallel and separate where the valves 8 of a'type known are screwed onto the connections 6, 7; these valves comprise a threaded core open through a seat bearing of the valve head, adjacent to the connection 7 and by means of hollows in the wall in the bore 8, under the connection 6. This part of the bore is provided with an evacuation channel opening out into the water outlet nose 2. The head of the valve itself provided with a toric bearing connection under and within the seating, is prolonged by a tail 10, with a flat and offcenter end and passes into a sealing gasket in the bottom of the core 8.

On the body I is mounted a dome ll, traversed by an inserted pivot 12, perpendicular to the direction of the operating spindles of the valve, which pivot 12 is common to the two disc cams 13, 14, which are parallel and very close to one another. Each of these cams has a profiled slit 15 in their face, cooperating with the flat tail 10 with a view to causing the opening or closing of the corresponding valve, the closing operation being able to take place as the result of the action of the return spring between the core and the tail of the valve, aided by the pressure of water, and in accordance with the direction and position of the valve head forward of its seating and the evacuation means.

The adjacent earns 13, 14, are individually integral with the handles 16, 17, which also are adjacent, and movable in very close, parallel planes and provided with divergent ends 18, 19, facilitating individual or simultaneous gripping or pushing. Such an arrangement allows the flow and obturators to be regulated independently. One valve can be actuated without affecting the other. The two ends l8, 19 may also be operated simultaneously with only one hand as also separate adjustment as the result of various actions of the fingers of one hand of the user, or by palming action of the two ends at the same time, accompanied by a rotary movement of the wrist.

The handles 16, 17 move in a window 20, in the quarter of a circle part of the dome, of which the faces act as abutments. From the point of view of closing, there is an advantage in providing a guard by means of a centralised ramp part with a slit 15, which provides play between the ramp and the end of the tail 10, to enable the valves to be closed securely.

The two cams can be fitted with one or several friction washers, or be separated from one another by a partition 21, in the dome or associated with a means of separation formed of such a washer which can be free to move or be stopped, so as to allow, as desired, either an individual or a joint braking action, accompanied, if desired, by a tendency to mutual entrainment.

The ends 18 and 19 can have any desired shape, both for manufacturing reasons and aesthetic reasons, as well as for technical reasons, to facilitate manual gripping.

The cams can have spindles oriented in any direction, vertical, horizontal or inclined.

The obturation mechanism can be any other, the only condition being that, by means of controls with parallel and very close trajectories, it should allow the individual, independent, common or separate control of both flows with the aid of only one hand.

What I claim is:

1. In a mixing tap with independent control of the flow of the hot and cold water wherein a tap body is provided is provided with two flow-regulating valves, said two flow-regulating valves being connected to the hot and cold water supply, respectively, and both being connected to a common water outlet spout, said two flow-control valves being paired with two corresponding controls, each of which has a movable control handle which is movable independently of the other control handle, the improvement comprising said two controls being constituted by two closely spaced coaxial cams which are displaceable over close parallel trajectories with the same directional sense of actuation, the respective edge faces of said two cams being formed with profiled notches, said two valves having respective slidable obturators positioned in parallel relationship in the base of the tap body, and said slidable obturators each having an of! center cam-follower end engaging into the respective profiled notches.

2. A mixing tap as claimed in claim 1, in which said two cams are closely spaced parallel disc cams having said profiled notches extending circumferentially in the peripheral edge faces of said disc cams.

3. A mixing tap as claimed in claim 1, in which said valve body has a dome enclosing the top thereof, said dome having an arcuate window therein, and said two control handles extending out through said window, and the edges of said window serving as abutments for limiting the movement of said handles. 

1. In a mixing tap with independent control of the flow of the hot and cold water wherein a tap body is provided is provided with two flow-regulating valves, said two flow-regulating valves being connected to the hot and cold water supply, respectively, and both being connected to a common water outlet spout, said two flow-control valves being paired with two corresponding controls, each of which has a movable control handle which is movable independently of the other control handle, the improvement comprising said two controls being constituted by two closely spaced coaxial cams which are displaceable over close parallel trajectories with the same directional sense of actuation, the respective edge faces of said two cams being formed with profiled notches, said two valves having respective slidable obturators positioned in parallel relationship in the base of the tap body, and said slidable obturators each having an off center camfollower end engaging into the respective profiled notches.
 2. A mixing tap as claimed in claim 1, in which said two cams are closely spaced parallel disc cams having said profiled notches extending circumferentially in the peripheral edge faces of said disc cams.
 3. A mixing tap as claimed in claim 1, in which said valve body has a dome enclosing the top thereof, said dome having an arcuate window therein, and said two control handles extending out through said window, and the edges of said window serving as abutments for limiting the movement of said handles. 